Angelina Jolie's Stunning Comeback: What She's Revealed About Healing and Hollywood

Angelina Jolie wasn’t exactly dying to become an actress.

Actually, it’s worth noting that before venturing into Hollywood, the Academy Award winner had pondered over various professional options, including the possibility of becoming a funeral director.

Jolie playfully commented during her December 2024 appearance on The Tonight Show, marking her return to late-night TV after nearly a decade, “Don’t you think it’s fitting, though?” She said this as she recalled the passing of her grandfather, explaining that she felt it was inappropriate for such an event. Instead, she saw it as an opportunity to celebrate life. Being unafraid of death and comfortable with the concept, she thought about pursuing this path professionally. She believed she could make a difference, improve things, and now, it’s her backup career choice.

With an extensive resume and multiple acting accolades under her belt, it’s clear that she won’t require a fallback option. Interestingly, the actress who was overlooked at the Oscars but is nominated for a Critics Choice Award for her role as opera singer Maria Callas, has expressed some doubts about the path she chose.

In a December 2023 interview with WSJ. Magazine, Jolie stated, “I wouldn’t have pursued acting in the manner I do today, especially not in Hollywood. When I began my career, it wasn’t customary to be as open and share so much of one’s personal life.

Nevertheless, it seems that the career path was likely what her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand, had envisioned for her, as she harbored dreams of acting herself.

Angelina Jolie shared with W Magazine in January that although she enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom, she had always harbored a desire to become an actress. This wasn’t surprising given her lineage, as her father, Jon Voight, is a renowned actor and her brother, James Haven, also works in the industry. Jolie recalled that she didn’t consciously choose acting; rather, it brought joy to her mother and helped support their family expenses when she was young. Her mom served as her manager, and they worked together as a team. Jolie always wanted to provide for her mother, such as buying her a house.

However, when her mother passed away in 2007 after fighting ovarian and breast cancer, Angelina’s relationship with acting shifted. She admitted, “For a while after my mom died, it was difficult for me to act because I realized how much it meant to her.

She clarified to WSJ Magazine that since she was raised in the vicinity of Hollywood, it had little impact on her, and she didn’t find it remarkable or valuable.

In her career, Angelina Jolie captivated audiences with her roles in movies like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Changeling, and Maleficent, to name a few. However, it was not just her performances that made headlines; her personal life also attracted attention.

Following a short-lived marriage to English actor Jonny Lee Miller in the ’90s, Jolie wed her Pushing Tin co-star Billy Bob Thornton in 2000. Their unconventional gestures, such as tattoos dedicated to each other and necklaces containing each other’s blood, were well-documented. Regrettably, they parted ways after two years of marriage, officially finalizing their divorce in 2003.

The relationship that followed, albeit seldom discussed, was her romance with Brad Pitt. They met while working on Mr. & Mrs. Smith, during a time when he was still married to Jennifer Aniston. He announced his separation from Aniston in 2005, several months before the release of their film together.

Over the next ten years, Jolie and Pitt expanded their family. He became the father to their children Maddox (age 23), Zahara (age 20), whom she had adopted in 2002 and 2005 respectively, Shiloh (age 18) who was born in 2006, and Pax (age 21) whom they adopted the following year. In 2008, Jolie gave birth to their twin sons Knox and Vivienne, now aged 16. After almost a decade together, Jolie and Pitt got married in 2014.

Two years after, Jolie publicly declared the dissolution of her marriage with Pitt. This announcement was made just a few days following an incident on a plane where she claimed Pitt had been abusive. However, Pitt refuted these claims, and no legal charges were brought against him. Both the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services and the FBI concluded their investigations into the accusations without finding any grounds for further action.

Even though Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were legally divorced in 2019, their ongoing disputes, such as child custody matters and management of their French vineyard Château Miraval, persisted. It wasn’t until 2024 that they finally reached a divorce settlement.

The ups and downs of Pitt and Jolie’s relationship were often the talk of the tabloids. However, the actress from ‘Gia’ has openly stated she doesn’t pay attention to the gossip about her personal life.

“I’ve been around for a while,” she told WSJ. Magazine, “and there’s been plenty said.

Over the past eight years, following my divorce from Pitt, I’ve graced the screen in seven films. Admittedly, this is a notable achievement, but it falls short of the three to five movies I used to churn out annually during the ’90s and the early 2000s.

Regarding my decision to take a step back from the public eye? In an interview with WSJ. Magazine, I shared, “We needed to heal,” alluding to myself and my children without delving into details. “There were things we had to mend.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last August, Angelina Jolie mentioned that her children are older and more independent now, allowing her to take on leading roles again after a three-year hiatus, which was marked by her role in the 2021 film “Eternals.” She also directed the 2024 film “Without Blood.” Jolie attributes this new phase in her career to her children’s growing independence, expressing excitement about their increasing autonomy. Interestingly, during the filming of the upcoming movie “Maria,” Maddox and Pax assisted her as production aides. This shouldn’t come as a shock since Jolie has previously collaborated with her children on various projects, such as working with Vivienne to produce the Broadway adaptation of “The Outsiders” in 2024.

Despite her ongoing engagements in Hollywood, including her confirmation of a third “Maleficent” film to WSJ. Magazine, she expresses a desire to relocate someday beyond Los Angeles.

She explained to The Hollywood Reporter that her current presence is due to divorce-related matters, but once her twins turn 18 in July 2026, she will be free to depart. Desiring privacy, tranquility, and security for her family, she currently resides in a house in L.A., yet finds the environment sometimes lacking the human connection she experienced globally during her travels. Upon leaving Los Angeles, she plans to devote significant time to Cambodia and visit her relatives wherever they may be around the world.

Regardless of where Angelina Jolie travels or the diverse paths her career might follow—she’s not only a skilled pilot, founder of Atelier Jolie fashion brand, and an active humanitarian—there is one role she cherishes above all: motherhood. As she shared with Good Morning America in November, “It’s my joy… Everything else can be taken away from me, but nothing else matters.” For further insights into her family life, continue reading.

Angelina Jolie, captivated by Cambodia during the filming of 2001’s Tomb Raider, sought out to visit an orphanage in Battambang with the aspiration of adopting her first child there.

Later on, she shared with Vanity Fair that she didn’t feel a connection with any of them until she encountered Maddox – born on August 5, 2001, suspended from the ceiling in a box. The moment she saw him, she felt an immediate bond and wept profusely, saying “I cried and cried.

Initially, when she was 26, this woman legally became her oldest son’s mom on her own. However, upon starting a relationship with Brad Pitt later on, he decided to initiate the adoption process for the same child too.

Due to his curiosity about his mother’s profession, when Angelina Jolie directed the 2017 film First They Killed My Father, which was an adaptation of her friend Loung Ung’s book detailing the Cambodian genocide by the Khmer Rouge regime, Maddox decided to contribute as an executive producer. Speaking about his role, he stated, “I wanted to assist in any way I could,” and when asked about his supervisor, or as we know her, his mother, he described her as “funny, easy-going, and a joy to work with.” In his words, “She’s amazing.

Following his biochemistry education at Yonsei University in South Korea, a decision that his mother expressed great satisfaction with, Maddox was invited to the White House in April 2023 for a state dinner. This event was graciously hosted by President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, who welcomed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, First Lady Kim Keon Hee.

In a 2007 interview with MSN, Angelina described the first three-and-a-half years of Pax’s life as being spent in a single location, a solitary room, on a small iron bed shared with twenty other children. During this time, he had no personal choices or freedom. This was his experience at an orphanage located outside Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Coexisting with Maddox, as well as his sisters Zahara and Shiloh, Angelina stated, “Suddenly, he finds himself in a liberated environment with new siblings and parents.” He’s currently learning English, and he’s incredibly affectionate. His energy is unrestrained due to his newfound freedom, making him quite lively and mischievous. Yet, what a resilient and extraordinary little individual he is.

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I had the privilege to lend my voice to the character Yoo in Angelina’s 2016 animated film “Kung Fu Panda 3”, and I also took on the role of set photographer for the movie “First They Killed My Father”. Lastly, I was honored to accompany my mom to the 2018 Golden Globes.

Additionally, he assisted in adorning Atelier Jolie – a fashion cooperative and tailoring business established by Angelina in New York City. Moreover, his role involved working within the assistant director team during the filming of “Without Blood,” which took place on an Italian set.

In an interview with People, Angelina described her experience collaborating with Pax and Maddox as follows: “A top-notch film crew has a familial feel, and that dynamic seemed completely organic.

3-year-old Maddox joined Angelina at the orphanage in Hawassa, Ethiopia, where they first met their eldest daughter Zahara, born on January 8, 2005. The actress shared with Anderson Cooper that Maddox adores Zahara. “When Zahara came home, she was already seven months old. For Maddox, it’s like having a tiny pet he can simply hold and gaze at.

Just like her brothers and sisters, Zahara has shown curiosity about all aspects of her mother’s professional life. She’s accompanied her on red carpet events, launched a charitable jewelry line called the Zahara Collection in partnership with jeweler Robert Procop in 2019, and joined her mom on trips to Syrian refugee camps as part of their work with the UNHCR.

In August 2022, Angelina felt emotional as she sent Zahara off to Spelman College in Atlanta (“I haven’t cried yet, but I hope I can keep it together,” she mentioned in an Instagram video). Later on, she returned for the homecoming celebrations of this Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

In 2023, Zahara became a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at her school. She has also traveled with an actress on multiple occasions to Washington D.C. During one of these trips in February 2022, she was present when the actress delivered an emotional speech advocating for the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act. A year later, they were together again, meeting with lawmakers to push for the passage of the Justice for All Reauthorization Act of 2022.

A few months following the announcement of their pregnancy, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt gave birth to Shiloh at Cottage Hospital in Swakopmund, Namibia on May 27, 2006. In an interview with MSN, Angelina described Shiloh as radiant and full of love, a sweet little being who is quite humorous. She also mentioned that she sees some of herself in her daughter, predicting that Shiloh would likely be a handful!

At the premiere of the movie “Unbroken” in 2014, Shiloh made her first appearance on the red carpet. Subsequently, she attended events for “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”, “The Breadwinner”, “Dumbo”, the 2018 National Board of Review Awards Gala, and the 2021 red carpet event for “Eternals”. Notably, at the “Eternals” premiere, she wore her mother’s Dior dress on the red carpet.

Angelina expressed on Daily Pop at TopMob, “Wow, go ahead and wear it! In fact, make it look even better than me. That’s the kind of mom I am.” (Or alternatively, “I say, ‘Go for it! Make my clothes look great on you.’ I embrace that role as a mother.”)

Beyond expressing an interest in Angelina’s charitable work, it appears that Shiloh has ventured slightly into the realm of entertainment, often visiting the Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angeles.

When Shiloh Jolie-Pitt turns 18 in 2024, she filed a petition at the Los Angeles Court to legally drop the “Pitt” part of her surname, choosing instead to be known as Shiloh Nouvel Jolie. According to a reliable source who spoke with TopMob News, Shiloh has hired her own attorney and is covering the costs herself.

At the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards, Angelina Jolie made her pregnancy public. Later in Nice, France on July 12, 2008, she gave birth to Knox and his twin sister Vivienne. The family moved into their Château Miraval, where Angelina shared that things were hectic but enjoyable. Shortly after, she told People magazine that Shiloh and Zahara enjoyed picking out the twins’ clothes and helping change and hold them.

In honor of Brad’s grandfather, Hal Knox Hillhouse, Angelina pointed out that “Knox shares many similarities with Brad, both emotionally and physically.” At the 2015 British motorcycle Grand Prix, this resemblance was quite noticeable between them.

Similar to their older siblings Pax, Zahara, and Shiloh, Knox also got a chance to act in the 2016 movie “Kung Fu Panda 3”. Angelina Jolie mentioned that they were initially shy but she didn’t want them to miss out on the experience. They eventually enjoyed their time on set, voicing the character Ku Ku.

As an ardent admirer, I can’t help but draw striking similarities between Knox’s younger-by-a-minute fraternal twin and my beloved mother, Marcheline Bertrand. Just like her, this remarkable individual shuns the limelight, choosing instead to stand as a pillar of support for other creative souls. She possesses an uncanny depth of thoughtfulness, seriousness, and unwavering dedication to the art of theatre. Her relentless pursuit of knowledge to better serve her craft mirrors my mother’s spirit perfectly.

Despite excelling in portraying a younger Aurora opposite Elle Fanning in the 2014 film “Maleficent” (Angelina Jolie expressed surprise at her performance, saying, “I was actually taken aback by how well she was doing; she went back and nailed her mark!”), the high schooler has since shifted her focus to behind-the-scenes roles.

Angelina mentioned that Vivienne was the one who motivated her to work towards adapting Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film “The Outsiders” for Broadway, which eventually led the teenager to act as an unpaid assistant to her mother, the producer, on the production that won a Tony Award.

Angelina explained to People that Vivienne, known as Vivienne Jolie in the playbill, would correct her. “She’ll remind me,” Angelina said, “‘Haven’t you seen the memo? We need to do this, we must go through this,'” she added. Angelina described Vivienne as a very diligent assistant who takes her work extremely seriously.

2025-02-07 14:51

Angelina Jolie’s Stunning Comeback: What She’s Revealed About Healing and Hollywood

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